Arno entered the room without being affected in the least, walking straight in.
"What is so important that I had to come here in person?" Arno asked.
His usual refined and elegant demeanor was completely gone. Currently, he radiated a dangerous aura. Even the presence of the Executive sitting in the chair was suppressed by Arno's pressure.
The Executive did not get angry, instead asking nonchalantly, "It's about your student, Eichi."
"I heard you blocked the recruiters we sent to scout him."
"What? Are you unwilling?"
Arno stared straight at the Executive, saying each word clearly, "Even if you tried to recruit him, he wouldn't agree. I am his teacher; I know what kind of person he is."
"Furthermore, I am not willing for him to join Team Rocket."
"I know you made this decision. I'm warning you, if this behavior happens again, I won't let you off easy."
After speaking, he kept his eyes fixed on the Executive, his momentum suddenly pressing down on her. The Executive felt a bit unnerved by Arno's gaze and turned her head away, no longer speaking.
"Hmph."
Arno gave her a disdainful look before walking out. Once he was gone, the female Executive clenched her fists, her delicate face twisting in anger.
Bang!
She slammed her fist heavily onto the desk.
"Arno, you just wait. Don't you know women hold the longest grudges?"
"You're only relying on the Boss's support. Without him, you're nothing."
"You better not let me catch you slipping, or I'll make your life a living hell."
Eichi stepped off the ferry and stretched his arms. After rocking on a ship for four days, he felt like the ground was still swaying even though he was standing on solid earth.
"Eichi, let's go," said a cheerful-looking boy with green hair standing beside him.
"Yeah, let's go."
This boy's name was Ryuichi Sakamoto—a pretty impressive name. However, his strength was just as impressive as his name. Eichi had met him during a Pokémon battle tournament on the ship.
Eichi had participated in that tournament, which was reportedly hosted by a multi-millionaire. The rewards were substantial, with a total prize pool of 1,500,000p. First place took 700,000p, second place 500,000p, and third place 300,000p.
In addition to the prize money, there were other rewards:
First Place: Quick Claw
Second Place: Sun Stone
Third Place: Ice Stone
Eichi had been very tempted by these rewards and entered immediately. After three days of competition, he successfully made it to the finals. Ryuichi had also participated and lost to Eichi in the semi-finals.
To be honest, Ryuichi was incredibly strong. He hailed from the Hoenn region and was traveling through Kanto. He possessed an extremely rare Absol, which was just as powerful as Sato's Electivire.
The matches were one-on-one, and Eichi used Scizor. He had almost lost to Ryuichi; that Absol was truly powerful, though it ultimately lost to him. However, Eichi didn't take first place. The winner was a woman with a Cloyster.
Eichi couldn't beat her. That Cloyster was at the peak of the Gym Leader rank and was extremely well-raised. With a level gap of over a dozen levels, there was no way he could win. Still, second place wasn't bad. Eichi and Ryuichi had become friends through their battle.
The two were now heading to the Pokémon Center to prepare for challenging the Vermilion Gym. After arriving and booking their respective rooms, they went upstairs to rest. Eichi took a nap at noon and felt much more refreshed.
In the afternoon, Eichi and Ryuichi headed out together. The air was slightly more polluted than in other cities, and the weather was a bit gloomy. Vermilion City had many power plants, and the city's architectural style reflected that.
As they walked, Ryuichi looked around and remarked, "The architecture here is very similar to Mauville City back in my home region."
"Plus, Mauville City also has an Electric-type Gym."
Eichi had checked the map before leaving. The Vermilion Gym was quite close. In the anime, it only took Ash a short while to run to the Pokémon Center after being defeated. Sure enough, after a few turns, they reached the Vermilion Gym.
Upon entering, they saw quite a few people. Aside from those currently challenging, there were seven or eight people in line. The Gym Leader, Lt. Surge, looked just like he did in the anime: a square face with yellow spiky hair, a burly build, and wearing yellow-green camouflage. He stood with his arms crossed, looking incredibly arrogant.
On the battlefield, his signature Pokémon, Raichu, was fighting. As soon as Eichi entered, he activated his Eye of the Bug Emperor, and Raichu's data appeared before him.
Raichu, Talent Grade: Excellent, Level: Experienced (Mid).
If Lt. Surge used this Raichu later, getting the badge would be no problem at all. Like the Viridian Gym, there were no staff members here to register challengers. The battles were fast; Lt. Surge's style was simple, powerful, and direct. Since it was a simple one-on-one, the matches didn't take much time.
Among the people ahead, only two defeated Raichu to get the badge. Besides Raichu, Lt. Surge also had Magneton, Jolteon, and Electabuzz. The Electabuzz was his strongest, at the Experienced (Peak) level; the previous two challengers had both lost to it.
After half an hour, it was almost Eichi's turn. Ryuichi had been watching the battles with excitement in his eyes.
"Eichi, which of us should go first?"
Eichi looked at the Electabuzz. Sato also had an Electabuzz, so he had experience fighting them.
"I'll go first."
"Alright, you go first then," Ryuichi said nonchalantly.
Just then, a staff member called out, "Next!"
Lt. Surge looked at the young man standing opposite him, his eyes narrowing. This boy had a very strong aura; he was clearly not a simple trainer. Eichi stepped forward with a relaxed expression to introduce himself.
"I'm Eichi, from Viridian Town."
Lt. Surge replied, "Kid, come on then. Beat me and take the badge."
Lt. Surge withdrew his Electabuzz and spoke to a staff member, who handed him a Poké Ball.
"Go, Raichu!"
A burst of white light emerged from the ball, taking shape on the ground. It was a Raichu, and in Eichi's Eye of the Bug Emperor, its talent was Outstanding and its level was Experienced (Peak).
It was very decent, but Lt. Surge was still underestimating Eichi.
"Go, Heracross!"
"Yakkuru!"
Heracross's massive frame appeared on the battlefield. Compared to Heracross, Raichu looked like a little midget. Seeing the Heracross, Lt. Surge was slightly surprised; this Heracross was quite impressive.
He grinned. "Not bad. Finally, a decent opponent has arrived. I'm starting to get excited."
"The match begins!"
"Raichu, Thunderbolt!"
"Heracross, Double Team!"
"Yakkuru!"